Roses intertwined
by ReunionofRoses
Summary: In the year 1882 Saya discovers a tower which houses her unknown twin sister. Over time she comes to love her sister as more than just a sibling. However, as their lives change, they struggle to hold onto their love. M For sexual situations. Yuri.
1. Blooming rose

**Chapter 1: The blooming rose**

It was such a sunny day outside this morning. The sky was clear and blue, with only a handful of puffy white clouds here and there. She could hear crickets and birds chirping, and the sound of the fountain in the distance. The sun warmed her face, as well as the grass beneath her back and her head. In the air was the fragrance of too many flowers to count, but all of them drew her attention.

She saw the puffy seed form of a dandelion floating down through the air, and it soon drifted onto her face. It caused her nose to tingle and Saya, the girl, raised a hand to pull it from her face as she sat up.

"I wonder where Haji is." She thought out loud.

Usually her servant, and friend, was by her side. And when he _wasn't _she at _least _would know where he _was_.

The day was beautiful, and she enjoyed it, but she was bored; there was nothing to do around here. She had the cello to play, fencing to practice, studying to do, and areas to explore, but not one of those things interested her right now. Saya had done them all to death, and now she wasn't able to find anything to do anymore. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't that she didn't _have _anything to do, but rather there wasn't anything that she _wanted _to do.

"Where _is _he?" Saya thought out loud again, impatiently. "He's supposed to keep me company, but he is nowhere to be _seen_."

A breeze blew across the field, catching both her long pink dress and her long bluish black hair in the wind as it soared past her. The dandelion was pulled from her grasp by the surprisingly strong wind and carried off, out of sight. She watched it go, and wished she'd held onto it.

"Saya!" Spoke a masculine voice from behind her, back towards the estate. She turned towards the source of the voice and saw Haji approaching her. The light-skinned, dark-haired man was much taller than she, and it had bothered her just _how _tall he'd grown, since when he had first arrived he had been much shorter than herself.

Her brown eyes gazed at the man who was very well dressed for a servant, with his medium-length hair held back in a short ponytail. His black suit and white shirt beneath it contrasted her brightly-tinted pink dress. Then again, they weren't _supposed _to look the same; women and men did not dress alike. Or at the very least, most of the time they did not; whenever Saya practiced fencing she wore the same kind of uniform anyone would, be they male or female.

The year was 1882, and Saya lived on her father, Joel's, enormous estate which spanned virtually the whole countryside. Haji had lived with them for about ten years now, and had grown to be a rather stoic young man. However, he and Saya had developed a relationship that caused them to act somewhat differently around each other than they did around everyone else. Unfortunately they were only really able to enjoy their friendship to its truest extent when no one else was around. Otherwise Haji would be put in danger of being punished for treating Saya like an equal.

"Haji," She spoke back to him as he neared her. "What took you so long? I was waiting here for you for almost an _hour_! If I got any stains on my dress because-"

"_You're _the one that chose to wait, and to lie on the grass."

She pouted, and looked away from him. "That's only because _you _weren't here to keep me _company_!"

Haji sighed and continued walking towards her. "You need to learn to be more patient, Saya; the world won't revolve around you as much as Joel's estate does." He said, to which she replied with a "Hmph."

"I don't _need _people to take care of me! I can take care of myself all on my own!"

"What about all of the things that the servants do for you here? Will you be able to do everything yourself?" He asked her.

"Yes." She replied without hesitation or thought.

"You're so stubborn." He explained in a weary tone as he sat down on the grass. She whirled around and put her hands on her hips as she glared down at him.

"Don't sit down! I want to do something!"

"What?"

Pursing her lips, she replied with "I don't know… _something_."

Haji pulled his pocket knife from a jacket pocket and opened it. He then proceeded to clean the dirt out from beneath his nails. She grew even more flustered at this.

"Don't you clean your nails while I'm around! It's rude!" Saya scolded him.

"But there isn't anything you want me to do." He reasoned in pacification.

Saya dug her hands into her sides and pressed her feet harder down into the ground. The energy of the earth seemed to flow up into her and she felt it building up her temper more and more by the moment, until finally she sighed and spat "Fine!" at him before running away.

"Saya!" He called after her, no doubt _following_ after her as well. But she wouldn't have it; if he wanted to be around her he would have to _work _for it.

Considering the outfit which she wore, he easily would have had the advantage in terms of mobility, but for some reason even in these clothes she was able to run faster, and Saya darted over the grass and towards the sandy stone of the estate's buildings. Soon she had reached them, as well as the brick foundation beneath them which were made of the same pastel-colored material.

Saya's shoes clacked loudly as she ran on the cobblestones and she ran down between rows of buildings until she came to a spot where they split, allowing her to go right and left as well as just forward. She looked from side to side, deciding which way she could go, as the sounds of Haji's heavier footsteps could be heard reaching the cobblestones as well.

"Saya! Just calm down!" He spoke as loudly as he could without threatening to shout at her in such a public area. She ignored his call, however, and chose to go left, finding a building made of wood amongst the expertly-crafted stone-made ones.

"This should be it." She thought while running up the few steps that were in front of the building and then pushing the door open as she ran down the long, but fairly thin room. About her, many half-dressed servant women seemed surprised at her sudden entrance and called after her in various honorifics as she continued through the building until she'd reached the other side and exited through the door out the back. Glancing behind her, she saw Haji reach the front door of the building and wince in acknowledgment of his defeat before the startled shrieks of the women drove him to apologize and find an alternative route. Saya smirked mischievously as she once again resumed running, knowing that he wouldn't be able to catch up with her with all of the buildings bordering the one she'd just gone through.

Saya continued running for a while, going down a path here and around a corner there, until she finally slowed down to a walk, confident that Haji wouldn't be capable of catching her anymore, or _finding _her for that matter. Her elevated mood lowered, though, as she realized that _she _didn't know where she had ended up. Of all the places on the estate which she'd explored Saya never once recalled being where she was right now. Then again, maybe she _had _and just couldn't recall because all of the stone buildings looked the same when you were surrounded by them.

"_Stupid Haji, making me get lost." _She thought while walking down the only path that she could; it was a straight alleyway bordered on both sides by thirty-foot-high walls. Her only options were to keep going the way she already was or turn around. Considering how far she'd ran Saya didn't even know if she was in the public area anymore. Though Joel owned all of the property that she had ever been on, he didn't actively use every square inch of it, and some of the areas could even be classified as abandoned ruins.

"I wonder if I'll be able to find my way back." Wondered the girl out loud as she realized how isolated she was.

"_I don't think I like this." _She thought, continuing on anyway.

The sun had risen higher in the sky as the morning had passed on, and there was still plenty of light, but the amount of ivy growing on the walls coupled with the absence of sounds about her made the girl feel like it might as well have been the depths of night. Saya had never gotten hurt, or at least, when she _did _get hurt, she always got better right away. But she'd _also _never been lost and _alone _before, which she found much scarier than some kind of obvious physical threat.

The path kept going straight for yards, but up ahead she could make out a corner, and it looked like once she got there she could turn left.

"_So long as I can get somewhere where I can move around, I'll be able to find my way back, or find someone else to take me back." _She told herself this as she continued walking down the only path that she could. However, it proved to not be enough to calm her nerves, and Saya soon found herself running towards the corner up ahead, desperately hoping that it wouldn't just turn to reveal more walls.

Saya was completely convinced that the walls were growing closer together, and it felt like every step she took also made them close one step more. The light, and indeed the _path _narrowed and what remained of her escape route seemed to be blanketed over in shadow as her shoes ran through the grass. When finally she reached the turn she had to literally stomp down into the grass and balance herself to keep from crashing headfirst into the wall, due to her momentum.

She snapped her gaze to the left, and saw more walls. But as her mind began to go from worried to terrified, she noticed that not a few yards ahead it turned once more, and it looked like a large source of light beamed through the archway; a clearing! Saya sprinted towards the corner as fast she could.

"_If nothing else it won't feel as claustrophobic." _She reasoned, once again almost colliding with the wall as she turned. However, _this _time when she made the turn Saya did not realize that she had stepped on her long dress, and she was not even granted the privilege of seeing where she would land as she tripped on the extravagant garment. Her thin body crashed into the ground, and she felt her cheekbone hit a rock, causing a sharp strike of pain to go through her mind as she landed.

It took her a few moments to move. Saya didn't know why. Still, she slowly moved her arms out to her sides and slowly managed to push herself up from the grassy ground, drawing her eyes onto-

_"This is amazing!" _She thought in wonderment while gazing about the area, astonished. Opposite her on the other wall was another walled-in path covered in ivy, but more importantly, _roses_. Even more overwhelming than _that _though, was that a huge clearing, walled-in though it was, stood in front of her, and virtually all of it was covered in bushes of what appeared to be thorn-less roses. They were in so many colors that she thought there might be some even _Joel _had not seen before; red, pink, purple, green, orange, yellow, white, violet… and more, if her eyes served her correctly.

The sun beamed down on the clearing, appearing to be directly above it, and was obviously one of the factors of all of the roses having such beautiful, vibrant colors. What was perhaps even _more _remarkable was the fact that they didn't seem to be maintained by anyone; they appeared to all be wild roses.

"_And yet they grow within the walls of the estate, and in such a variety of colors." _She thought, her fear long gone, replaced by limitless curiosity in looking at every single rose, smelling them, touching them, perhaps even _eating _a blossom or two if her level of excitement continued raising as it was.

"_I'm going to look at the violet ones first!" _She thought, running across the grass that remained between her and the ocean of roses.

That was when she heard it. And felt her heart blossom as her curiosity had just moments ago. That was when the singing drew her out of her shallow, privileged world and into a brand new one.

* * *

This is my first time writing a story so I appreciate any creative input I may receive. I have written before but do not have a lot of experience having people critiquing my work. Following this week, as this chapter shall count as the first post, updates will occur sometime on Friday. I ask that anyone who dislikes yuri or any other theme of this story to withhold their comments as the theme of the story will not change regardless of objections to its nature. Those who understand what I am saying will be able to discern between that and input on my writing itself. Thank you for reading and I hope you come to enjoy the story.

(Additionally, I have never written sex in a story before. Because of this, and because I have never posted anything on this site before, I do not know to what extent detail is allowed to be shown. The intent of the scenes in which sex will take place will not be for the purpose of arousal, but that obviously will not exclude them from the rules governing how much is permitted in stories posted on this site. I appreciate any feedback people can give me regarding this matter. If nothing else I can always just make things in those cases vague and then post the detailed versions of the story on another site.)


	2. Caged princess

I apologize for the tardy update. I think I will make the update once every other week, so that it can be consistent in the future. Thank you sayalovesdiva for youe review, and to everyone else who reads this. After all, people reading and telling me about my stories is the reasons I am doing this. Thank you all again.

* * *

Sun shone in through the windows. Yet somehow, like always, it remained dark. The sky, whatever it looked like, might as well have been empty. No sounds were voiced; nothing lived nearby but plants and they would not speak. It smelled of dust. That was all. On the hottest of days it smelled like sweat, until a bath was possible. The shadows made her feel cold. The chill wasn't aided by her only garment, which she had been with since she could remember; it was a dirty old sheet.

A flower that looked like a see-through white ball blew towards the window, offering that it may enter, but then the air changed direction, and blew it away from her window. It had been a long time since anything had managed to make it up this high, let alone how long it had been since something had actually blown in. And anything that _did _hadtransformed into mush long ago.

_"I wonder how long it will be until that man comes back and brings food." _She thought. It had been almost a week now. She was used to her stomach hurting, but usually she would receive food by now. Had she done something wrong? The last time the man came, she had tried to get away from him when he made advances on her. It had not made a difference; he used her like any other time and left her on the floor, but perhaps it was fighting back that had caused this to happen. Was there something that she could do, then, that was _right_? When she did not fight back, she got hurt. When she _did _fight back she got hurt and then did not receive food. Was there something she could do that would keep her from getting hurt _and _get her food?

She didn't bother trying to scratch off the milky-colored crust that was left on her anymore. It didn't matter to her that much. If she felt hungry enough, sometimes she even ate it. It did not taste that bad, considering other things which she'd been given to consume.

Her lips were chapped, and her skin was dry. It was the result of not having water or that red liquid for as long as she had not been given food. She would usually try to drink the liquid that seemed to form in her mouth, but that did not happen anymore, leaving the inside of her _mouth _feeling dry as _well_. If she had enough liquid inside her body to urinate, she might even be willing to drink that.

She was thirsty, and she was hungry. And she was lonely.

There was almost nothing that she could think of to do to occupy her time anymore. Her sheet had grown too frail in the past few years to be used in any ways other than a cloak. Even as _that _it was beginning to tear in places. Nothing else remained for her to use. The bowls or plates her nutrients were brought in were subsequently taken after she had consumed what was placed in or on them. She had no toys, nor books, nor anything else to teach her how to do things. If she thought about it, it wasn't that she didn't _have _anything to do, but rather, that she didn't know _how _to do anything.

"_There is one thing." _She thought to herself. It was the one thing she had.

The girl opened her mouth and sat up straight, reaching out towards the room as if asking it to provide her with something- anything, to occupy her life with other than loneliness. It did not provide anything more than the usual nothing, so she did as she usually would as well.

A sound came from her throat. It was her voice, and yet more. Or perhaps, it _was _just her voice, but her voice past what she could speak. The sound carried off, expanding beyond her, filling the room, and then escaping through the windows as she could not. The sound was her voice, and it spread throughout the air outside, traveling with the wind wherever it could go, hoping that another voice would hear its call and respond.

Hers was the voice that called for another. She was searching for something, love? Perhaps that was it. It was difficult to know what it was you were searching for if you knew nothing more about it than the word itself. To the girl it was just a dream, a want that could never be fulfilled, just like her desire to leave this tower in which she had remained for so many years. The girl did not know what it was that she was doing that was keeping her here, but she _did _know that no matter what she did, nothing seemed to change.

She did not ask to be let out. That was what she wanted, but it was not what she asked. She wanted to have food and other things every day, but that was not what she asked for either. All that she asked for was something to change, something to become part of her life. For that she would do almost anything.

The girl's voice ceased and her arms fell once more.

No one answered.

No one ever answered.

She drew her head between her legs, and tried to go to sleep. It was the only thing she knew how to do other than sing.

The air was stagnant, empty, and cold. But then something sounded. It was a voice other than her own. She heard the man's voice sometimes, usually grunts, but this was different; the voice was that of a girl's. "Hello?" It said; it _asked_. Was the question coming to her? No, it couldn't be.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" The voice asked once more. It couldn't be for her. "I heard your singing. It's really lovely." It spoke, and she sat straight up. It _had _been for her!

"I… am here." She responded. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Would the other voice hear her own?

"I'm glad!" The voice told her.

She felt something happen in her. Was it surprise?

"My name is Saya, what is your name?" The other, Saya, spoke.

It was at this that the girl grew anxious; she had no name. She tried to think of one, but ultimately, her effort was in vain.

"Name?" She asked.

"You don't have a name?" Came Saya from down below.

She couldn't answer. She didn't have a name, but she did not want to tell Saya that. Would Saya leave if she confirmed that she did not have a name?

"Then we'll just have to give you one!" Saya spoke enthusiastically.

The girl was very excited when Saya said that. Not only would Saya remain, she would be given a _name _by Saya as _well_!

She sang. It was all she _could _do. And it was what Saya _wanted _her to do. Her voice sailed out into the air, through the room, and out the windows. But it did not sail through the wind as it usually did, searching aimlessly for another voice. It went straight down to Saya, and enveloped the girl in its song. She was not singing very long before Saya spoke up again.

"I know! Your name will be Diva!"

"Diva… I am Diva?"

"Yes! Diva the _princess_; with the beautiful singing voice!"

Her name was Diva.

"So now that you have a _name,_ let's become _friends_!"

Diva… did not do or say anything for several moments, perhaps _minutes_. That might have been the reason Saya chose to speak up.

"Or not… you don't have to be my friend…"

"Saya, I would like to be your friend."

"Really?!" She asked.

"Yes."

Diva could hear how happy she was down below.

"Thank you, Diva!"

"Saya…"

"What is a friend?"

Diva heard the girl's tone change down below.

"What?"

"A friend; I would like to be yours, but I do not know what that is."

"But you must have tons and tons of friends, with a singing voice like _that_!" Saya responded.

Diva said nothing.

There was a long silence, and she wondered if her lack of a response had sent Saya away. She was gladly proved wrong, however, when Saya spoke once more.

"I've got an idea! Why don't you come down here?! There's this _beautiful _garden of roses very close by!"

"Roses?"

"Yes! They're all different kinds of colors and…" Saya trailed off.

"Diva, don't you know what roses are?"

Diva once again didn't respond, which Saya must have taken for a "no".

"Then I'll show you!"

Diva looked at the strong door which barred her from leaving the room, as well as through the metal bars which kept her from even being able to explore it in its entirety, if there were even something to explore. She couldn't squeeze through the bars, and she couldn't force open the door even if she _could _reach it.

"Saya, I cannot get down to you."

The girl's tone was loud when she spoke again from down below.

"What is it, Diva?!"

She did not mean to make Saya upset, but Diva couldn't feel her own mood changing.

"I cannot get out of this room."

She heard Saya running in the grass, and began to sit up, wondering if that had been the last straw for the girl. However, when she heard the entrance to the tower open, she realized that Saya was coming _up to _her, not running away. Diva allowed herself to slouch forward again. Unfortunately, Saya coming to help her would not change anything. Meeting Saya had been that change that Diva had so desired all this time, but Saya would not be able to change Diva's entrapment. Nevertheless, as she heard Saya's shoes clattering on the steps as the girl drew closer, Diva felt her heart's rhythm change to match the rapidity of the steps.

The sounds of the steps changed; they did not echo as much anymore. Saya must have reached the top of the stairs. Diva knew this to be true as her suspicions were confirmed by the growing volume of the steps until, at last, she heard the girl reach the door. It wasn't silent for very long before she heard, and _saw_, the door shaking.

"Saya." She spoke, hearing "I'm trying, Diva." Come from the other side of the door.

"It won't open." She explained, seeming to trigger the end of Saya's attempts.

"How could someone lock you in a room like this?!" Saya demanded.

Diva told her she didn't know.

"Doesn't it upset you that you can't leave that room?! Doesn't it make you _angry_?!" The girl requested further.

"Angry?" She asked.

It seemed like such a foreign word to her. She did not understand it.

"I want to leave." She finally said. "But I cannot."

The door rattled a few more times, but it would not budge.

"Saya?" Diva asked.

A few moments later Saya answered

"Yes? What is it?" Diva was afraid to ask, but she decided that she might as well since she had already started to.

"Will you be _my _friend?" She asked, hoping it wasn't too great of a request. She found herself surprised when Saya asked her what she was talking about.

"Of _course _I'll be your friend! When you said you were mine I thought that meant we _both _were."

"We are both friends then?"

"Yes." Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally Saya broke the silence.

"Diva, we have to find a way to get you out of there."

"We cannot."

"Yes, we can. Think; do you know where they might keep the key to this door?"

"No. They never told me. There is a different key for the cage as well."

"A _cage_?!"

Had she made Saya angry again? Once more they were overcome with silence, but this time it appeared to be a good thing; she could hear Saya trying to calm down.

"Well, we'll worry about the cage later, for now I just want to see if I can find a way in there. I don't know if I have a strong enough hairpin to pick the lock. But I could probably find one somewhere, perhaps something used for sewing heavy fabrics."

"How long do you think it will be?" Diva asked.

"Before we can get you out?"

"Before I can see you." She explained.

Saya seemed surprised, or perhaps stunned, as she didn't say anything for several moments. She seemed to recover quickly, though.

"Oh, not very long at all! The only problem I will probably have is finding my way back here; I just got lucky before when I got lost."

"Lost?"

"When you're lost you are somewhere that you're unfamiliar with."

"I see."

"It was kind of scary at first, but I found that garden of roses, and then I got to meet _you_, so it wasn't that bad, I guess."

To be somewhere that you've never been…

"It sounds nice." Diva spoke.

"What does, Diva?"

"To be somewhere you've never been before."

She seemed to catch Saya off-guard once more.

"Well you'll be able to experience that really soon, Diva. If I can find the right pin or maybe even the key itself, I could probably get inside by _tomorrow _if we're _lucky_."

"Will you stay?" Diva asked her.

Saya's tone had a touch of guilt when she responded.

"Well, I wouldn't be able to stay here forever, but I could come see you a lot. And once we find a way to get you out, you could come with me _everywhere_ I go!"

"Everywhere you go?"

"Yes! We'll have lots of fun together!"

Diva thought about that word; fun. It sounded nice. She wanted to know what it was like to have "fun".

"Saya, may we do something?"

Once more Saya seemed surprised, or at the very least, confused; her tone seemed somewhat unsure when she responded.

"What do you mean, Diva?"

"I have heard of 'games' before. And I would like to try one. But I do not know any. Do you know any games, Saya?"

"Well, sure, I know quite a few games, but most if not all of them require that we be able to interact with each other to play them."

Diva felt her spirits dip.

"I see."

Before she could fully feel disappointment, however, Saya spoke up once more.

"Wait! I _do _know of a game we can play!"

"You do?"

"Yes!" Saya responded, once again sounding enthusiastic.

"What is it called?"

"It's called 'Saya says'."

Diva tilted her head in curiosity, though she knew that Saya could not have seen her. It was such an interesting combination of words. It felt to Diva as if she had just experienced a new taste in her mouth, or a new scent in the air.

"How do you play that game?" Diva asked.

"Whenever I say 'Saya says', you have to do what I say. If you don't, you lose. But if I tell you to do something and I _don't _say 'Saya says' at the beginning and you _do _what I say, you lose. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Alright then; Saya says stand up."

Diva did so.

"Saya says 'stand on one leg'."

Diva lifted one of her legs into the air, looking at the door and awaiting further instructions.

"Put your leg back down."

She did nothing.

"I did not." Diva informed Saya, since the girl could not see through the door.

"Good job, Diva!"

"Saya says 'do a handstand'!"

"What is a handstand, Saya?"

"It's when you go upside down and balance yourself on your hands, instead of on your feet."

Diva dipped forward, not even putting her leg back down before pulling both of them out from under her and slapping her hands onto the cold stone. The sheet fell from her back, and her long hair fell down in front of her face, but she did as Saya had said.

"I did it." She spoke, no effort in her voice.

"You _did_?" Saya asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes."

"Wow, Diva, you must be really strong!"

She awaited Saya's instructions, and the girl seemed to understand the game was still on.

"Oh, alright; Saya says-"

Before Saya could speak they both heard someone calling her name from somewhere outside. The speaker sounded like an old boy to Diva.

"Oh, darn, it's Haji." She heard Saya say.

"Diva, I have to go now. But I'll be back real soon. I promise. I'll find a way to open this door."

She didn't want Saya to go, but she couldn't make the girl stay.

"I understand. I look forward to speaking with you again, Saya." She spoke.

"And the same to you as well, Diva. I'll see you soon!" Her last sentence had a fading volume as Saya drew away from the door and could be heard running back down the steps of the tower.

Diva held herself up on her arms, remembering her friend had not said "Saya says" again and not wanting to "lose" the game. So she waited for Saya to return, hoping it would be soon


	3. Friends

She opened the door and walked back out into the sun. It was so bright in comparison to the inside of the tower that she wondered if Diva's skin was pale. What was more; she wondered what Diva looked like _period_. She would focus on nothing but releasing her new friend until the deed was done.

It was strange, but Saya felt as if they shared something in common, perhaps _more _than one thing. It certainly wasn't their singing voices; Saya had never so much as tried to sing. It wasn't their social standing on the estate; Saya was virtually a princess while Diva was likely known to only a few people. Perhaps, though, it was that neither of them seemed to have much in the way of friends. Saya was grateful that Joel and Haji were in her life, but sometimes she just wished she could have another friend; it would be someone who could relate to her loneliness and always be there, waiting for her.

She had to remember though; Diva needed just as much from her as she needed from Diva. If anything, her friend probably needed _more_; from what Saya had heard it sounded like Diva was being treated like a caged animal. Who knew how she was treated, being kept in that… _cell_ like she'd done something wrong. There was no way Diva deserved what she was being put through, not with such a beautiful voice as hers. Even not having met her face to face, Saya could tell she was very special. The fact that she was in a tall tower, cut off from the world, on the other side of a huge garden of wild roses which gradually grew more blue in color until finally reaching that beautiful, impossible hue… it reminded Saya of a princess in a fairytale.

_"She's not being treated like a princess though." _Saya thought.

That was why she had to rescue her; it was why Saya had to do whatever it took to free the "princess" from her prison. Diva was the princess with the beautiful singing voice; Saya would make sure she would be _treated _as one.

_"I just need to find out how I can release her."_

All she knew was that there was a key which was to be inserted into the elaborate padlock which barred her from opening the door and meeting Diva in person. What she _didn't _know was what the key looked like, how big it was, or where on the estate it could possibly be. If perhaps one time she could see who it was that held the key, Saya could at least find out where they went and plan to steal the key away while they weren't looking. But to discover who it was that held the key and not be discovered, she would have to find a good hiding place. It would be nearly impossible to hide in Diva's tower; there were no out-of-the-way places to conceal oneself in it. The tower was essentially just one big staircase, then a straight hall, then the door, and then the room in which Diva was forced to remain.

_"Perhaps if I could get a green dress to blend in with the stems, or come here some time at night when I wouldn't be as easily spotted, I could hide in the rose garden and catch a glimpse of them."_ She thought while traveling through the same field of roses in which she was planning to hide.

There was no way to tell if someone would even _come _at nighttime though. In addition to that, Saya was treated like a princess, and it would be very difficult for her to just sneak out all night without being spotted even once. That was one of the most frustrating things about being so well to do; you could never do anything that you wanted to do, someone was always holding you down with etiquette or formalities or many other things of the same cloth. It wasn't that Saya didn't like being treated well, rather that she didn't like the lack of independence it forced upon her as a result of being of such great significance to the estate.

_"Maybe I can get Haji to help." _She considered as she traveled through the huge bed of roses, trying not to get trample any of them underfoot, as well as not wanting to get her dress stained.

_"Then again, maybe I shouldn't. He might not understand and try and keep me from seeing Diva again." _Saya decided as she emerged on the other side of the clearing, wondering how he had managed to find her location so easily. He was still quite a ways away, but even _she _hadn't known how she had gotten here, it was amazing that _he _could find her.

Saya frowned, in more than just thought now, at the realization that perhaps the hardest part about speaking with Diva again would be just plain finding her way back here; before she had literally lost track of where and when she turned, let alone in what direction. She _might _be able to just try and get here again on pure muscle-memory, but Saya didn't want to take that chance. As she reached the first corner she would have to turn, the girl looked back, staring across the clearing full of roses at the tower.

Roses didn't grow blue petals. They just could not produce a blue rose. Joel had mentioned once that there was a certain pigment within roses that they did not have, and that was the reason roses were never blue. Yet, as the bed of roses drew closer to the tower, they're pigment seemed to grow cooler in tone, eventually becoming purple, then violet, and then, finally, the impossible shade of blue. Saya did not know how they could grow to be such a color here, but she knew that it was definitely a sign that Diva was something special, and that she needed to do all that she could to help release her friend from her current fate.

"I'll be back, I promise." She spoke to Diva, getting the feeling that somehow her friend had heard her, and then ran around the corner, trying not to cry for both herself and for Diva.

"Saya!" Haji spoke to her, sounding as well as looking relieved that he'd found her. She said nothing; she was still a bit out of it after having to leave Diva.

"Where did you go? I was looking all over for you." He requested, obviously upset but not wanting to anger her again and risk having the girl run off like before.

"I… got lost. I couldn't find my way back." She spoke. It helped ease her conscience knowing it was only a half-lie.

"I see." He said, any semblance of frustration seeming to leave him at the knowledge that she didn't know her way back. "In that case, let's head back to the mansion; I'm sure you must be hungry by now."

Saya's stomach hurt. She could feel it begging her for something to be put in it. However, as she was about to tell Haji that she wanted food, the image of Diva being locked in the cell with barely enough food to survive stole away her appetite and she told him she did not want anything to eat as the girl began walking back towards the mansion, obviously upset. Haji was not one to allow formalities to get in the way of their communication, or at least not when they were alone.

"Saya, what's bothering you?" He asked with a tone that informed her that she could not just brush him off.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said regardless.

"There must be something I can do to help you."

"There's nothing."

"But Saya-"

She did not remain near the man; Saya elected to march away faster than he was walking. She could tell he was not increasing his pace to follow after her, but that bothered her more than if he _had _moved quicker. The uncomfortable feeling drove her to move quicker than she had before, which in turn just made her feel worse. She walked faster and faster until Haji was out of eyesight, and then she increased her pace once more.

_"I have to find where that key is." _Saya thought.

_"Nothing else matters."_

* * *

He watched Saya depart, her ever-quickening pace drawing her further and further away as walked off towards the estate, and in the direction of the sunset behind it. It had gotten colder out; as the day went by and he had searched for Saya everywhere he knew she had ever gone, Haji had seen the bright, sunny day growing first less radiant, and then beginning to lose its brightness altogether. The purples and blues and a few little strokes of orange and red yet remained in the sky, and it was not difficult to see, but it was getting dark out. It made him feel strange as he watched her walk in the direction of the sunset as if she were leaving the world just as its primary source of light was, and despite knowing that he would see both Saya and the sun tomorrow, he still felt a strange foreboding feeling.

_"What could have bothered her so much that she would act that way?" _He wondered. Haji had known Saya for virtually his entire life, and as a result knew most of her behaviors and mannerisms. This had not been the first time she had run off after getting angry with him; she did this once every few months. However, it _had_ been the first time he had not known where to find her, and it had _also _been the first time things were not fixed upon their reunion. The man had looked everywhere from the lake to the area in which she took her fencing lessons to Joel's office, and yet he had not found her in any of those places. It was too much of a coincidence that the lapse in Saya's pattern occurred the same time which they could not mend their issues, and it bothered her that he did not know what had happened.

Now that he thought about it, Joel seemed slightly different today as well. The man was getting rather old, but had gained wisdom with his age, and was much less transparent than Saya was with her childishly-direct personality, but Haji had felt strange when he met his caretaker today. It had been when he went to look for Saya in his office, and had instead found him putting something away into a box in his desk; it had looked like some manner of elaborate key. The elderly man's words had been just slightly quicker than usual as he put the thing away, and then he sounded normal again. He doubted the two instances had much at all to do with each other, but it was odd that two strange things would happen in the same day when all of their years together had seemed to be so carefree and, when Saya was behaving, serene.

The thought that he should just let Saya deal with this on her own floated in and out of his mind. Then he decided that was stupid and ran after her.

_

* * *

_

_"Where could it be?" _Her heart screamed into her mind as Saya continued running about the property, searching for the key. Ever since she had shrugged off the feeling of guilt from leaving Haji behind Saya had ran from place to place, looking in chests and in desks, under plants and in gargoyles. Every place it could be located, be it reasonable or insane, she had checked, and yet it remained to be found.

The girl finally stopped, bending over and placing her hands on her knees as small beads of sweat ran down her face and dripped off of her nose and chin. Her entire body felt sticky and gross, and Saya could not remember the last time she had put either her mind or her body through enough stress to make herself sweat so much. The sleeves of her dress were sticking to her arms and whenever part of her long dress came into contact with her legs it tended to cling to one of them. In addition to that, if a bang of her hair fell to her face it was stuck there until she pulled it off with a hand. She felt gross, but the determined girl was not going to give up so easily; until Joel himself demanded that she cease her search, Saya never would.

Her breathing finally returned to normal, and Saya began to run forward again. However, as she turned a corner she nearly ran into Amshel, Joel's business partner and a man whom she'd known since she had been born. His features were slightly paler than anyone else that she knew due to him spending so much time in labs, performing experiments. He had a finely-trimmed beard and black hair which was slicked back. His expression was calm and composed, and even when he was frowning she always sensed a sort of intellectual or perhaps even egotistical grin behind it. He wore a burgundy colored suit, as well as an ascot, and both were perfectly clean and smooth.

"Saya, you had best not run so quickly; who knows what you may find around a corner someday?" He explained to her. She tried not to make it evident that she was angry, due to the man being able to speak directly with Joel and seemingly on the same level as him. He was one of the few people she had ever met whom she was not allowed to be disrespectful to, regardless of the circumstances.

"I understand." She responded quickly.

"You appear to be in a rush." He stated, not bothering to put his sentence into the form of an actual question.

"I'm looking for something, and I want to find it before I return to the mansion." She explained to him.

"I see. Well, I hope you find what you're looking for. I'm afraid I have to leave, however, I some responsibilities to attend to; if you'll excuse me."

The man was not asking for permission; Amshel was telling her that he was leaving, and when he said it like that, it bothered her. He walked past her as if she were just another servant, and did not once look her in the eye as he did so; he had dismissed her just as much as he had himself. She watched him walk for a while longer, and then she turned back towards where she had initially been headed, this time catching sight of another familiar face; Haji. He looked exhausted, his chest was not heaving all that much, but she saw sweat on his usually fair face, and his posture was not as tall as it usually was.

Saya stood silently, her sweat now feeling cold, as he fully recovered his breath and walked towards her.

"Haji-"

"You're looking for something; I heard."

She sighed internally at the knowledge that she would not be able to just "walk away" this time. Saya doubted he would allow her to run away either.

"Please don't try and stop me, Haji; I need to do this."

The man continued walking towards her and then stood over the girl, gazing down at her. Saya peered up into his eyes, and saw resoluteness in them that she was not normally accustomed to.

"Please-"

"What are you looking for?" He asked her, and she felt her face show her surprise. Questions rolled through her mind, none bearing a similar thought. Before she knew it, Saya had spoken.

"A key; I need to find a key." She told him.

A brief flash of realization flashed through his eyes, and then his hands fell from her shoulders.

"I'll show you where it is."


	4. Key to my heart

It was dark in Joel's office; he had left it for the day and was now likely either in his bedroom reading a book, or out taking care of other responsibilities. His office had a unique shape to it, which could not be described accurately through words. Books lie in the shelves that were inlaid in the walls throughout much of the room, while a large set of windows looked out on the property from behind Joel's desk.

The door to his office slowly creaked open and a thin line of light entered the room as Saya gazed in through the opening.

"No one's inside." She told Haji before pushing the door open more. The light from the hallway would be their source of light within the office itself, since it made it possible to see in the office, but was not too obvious from outside.

Haji entered the room as well, though he understandably wasn't as stress-free as his female companion; he would get more than a scolding if he were caught in here when he was not supposed to be.

"Where did you say it was, Haji?" Saya asked as she walked towards Joel's desk, her shoes makes more noise on the carpeted floor than either of them would like.

"In the top left desk drawer." He spoke quietly, staying near the doorway so that he could see if anyone was coming down the hall.

Saya walked cautiously over to it, not wanting to alert anyone downstairs that someone was in Joel's office; it was easy to tell the difference between the sounds of her footsteps, no matter how cautiously she treaded, from Joel's.

She started to pull open one drawer, but it creaked, so she stopped and told it to "shush".

"Not that one, Saya. It's left when you're facing towards the desk."

"Oh, right."

She tried the drawer on the other side, and luckily _it _did _not _squeak as she slowly pulled it open, and saw a dark wooden box inside. She opened the box, and sure enough, within it laid the key. It was made of gold, and the pattern of its inlays made it just as viable of a décor piece as a practical key. But this would not be ending up on someone mantelpiece; it would be used to unlock the key to Diva's cell.

"It won't unlock the cage, but it's something." Saya said, pulling it out of the box and closing both of its previous storage places.

"Saya, did you find it?"

"Yes. I have it." She told him while trying to tip toe her way back across the room to him. Haji was still sticking his head out slightly to check for passersby, but he apparently had not seen anyone yet. Saya reached him and tapped him on the shoulder to let him know that she was nearby.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, to which she nodded. He gave her a nod back, and then started to move back out into the hall, but she held his sleeve to keep him from doing so.

"Haji… thank you."

It took him a moment, but the young man smiled, and nodded once more.

"Let's go."

"Right."

With both stealth and speed the two moved out into the hall and closed the door behind them. They moved quickly down the hall, trying to make as little sound as possible, and continued moving at a quick pace even after they had left the vicinity of Joel's office.

"Haji, I need to go back to that place I was at earlier today." She told him.

"What? You're going there _tonight_?"

"I have to, Haji."

"But why?"

"Please."

Haji stared directly into her eyes, likely looking for any trace of willingness to put this off until at least tomorrow. He found nothing.

"Alright."

* * *

It had been hard finding their way back when it was _daytime_, but not that it was so dark out it seemed near-impossible. Due to the secrecy of their mission, they could not use a lantern either, so for a while, until their eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, they had literally been walking blind. Once they had accidentally walked into another servant who was heading back to his quarters for the night; when he inquired as to what they were doing out so late they told him they had been out for a while and were just now coming home.

Once they had traveled far enough they did not worry about encountering any more servants and eventually the sights began to look familiar to Saya as they made their way closer to the tower in which Diva resided. As they grew closer to the tower, Saya wondered if she should tell Haji about Diva; after all, if it hadn't been for his knowledge of where the key was stored, she never would have found it. At the same time she was worried about what he may do if he discovered Diva's existence. She knew that Haji would never intentionally do anything to get any of them in trouble or hurt, but sometimes he did things she did not want him to, and she could _not _take that risk.

Finally they reached the narrow path between the walls which she had gone through before. Despite the darker atmosphere and the even narrower appearance of the passageway, Saya was not afraid this time to travel through it.

"Haji, I need you to wait here for me, okay?"

"What? _Here_?"

"I can find the rest of my way myself. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With a sigh, he conceded.

"Alright, just be careful, will you?"

Saya nodded, and then continued on down the narrow passageway, her pace quickening as she drew away from Haji rather than slowing. Saya turned the first corner, making sure not to trip this time, and then ran down to the second one, and faced out towards the clearing, and Diva's tower. Saya smiled and gazed down at the key held in her hand before nodding and running into the garden of roses.

_"Just a little bit longer, Diva." _She thought, ignoring the sweat that had once again built up on her body.

All around her roses of various kinds sprang in and out of her vision, gradually growing purpler in hue, and then violet, and then finally blue. However, no true blue roses existed in his garden; the blue roses could only be found on the ivy within the hall leading to Diva's cell. Saya remembered it, and upon learning that Diva was trapped inside, that the world must have been yearning to release her, but could not do so on its own.

Saya reached the tower and pulled open the door before running up the flights of stairs, her heart now pounding in her chest more from excitement than from the incredible strain all of this running was putting on her lungs. And with the speed at which she ascended the stairs, Saya had soon reached the top of those steps, now running down the hall to the door which would no longer bar her from the girl awaiting within. She reached the door, and pulled up the padlock, inserting the key and unlocking it before allowing the cursed thing to fall to the floor and sliding the key into her shirt. Saya pulled the bar which held the door shut out of the way and then placed a hand on the door handle. Then, with a sigh of determination, she pushed open the door and stepped into the dark room.

"Diva? I'm here; I came back soon just like I promised."

It was difficult to see in here, even though she had, for the most part, grown used to the darkness of nighttime by now after running for so long. Despite this she could still make out the pale form of a girl doing a handstand. Her arms were shaking from the strain, and Saya could tell from the slight sheen to the girl's body that she was sweating.

"Diva?"

The girl's head looked up towards her as best it could, though the long mane of black hair kept either from seeing each other's faces.

"Saya." The girl spoke.

"What are you doing?"

"You said I could not stop until you said 'Saya says'."

Saya actually leaned towards Diva; it was an exaggerated display of surprise.

"You mean you've been doing a handstand the whole time I was gone?"

Diva seemed to shake more than usual and as she said "I am sorry", her balance faltered, and her legs descended down towards the floor. "Diva!" She shouted while rushing forward as first her friend's knees, and then her face struck the hard stone floor. Saya reached the cage and held the bars tightly as she waited for the girl to move. For several moments, Diva did not. Then, as Saya was deciding whether to apologize first or ask if her friend was all right, the girl spoke up.

"I am sorry. I thought I was doing what you wanted."

Saya's grip on the metal bars loosened, and once again she felt sadness drifting over her like a climate which surrounded Diva.

"Oh, no; I was just surprised that you could do it that long. I didn't mean to startle you and make you fall down either; are you okay?"

"No one has asked me that before." Diva spoke. Perhaps the saddest thing about her statement was that Diva did not even sound sad; her tone was hollow and flat. It was almost impossible to believe that someone who could say such a thing in such a tone would be capable of such beautiful singing.

"Diva…"

"I am unhurt." She stated, pushing her nude form up from the dusty form. Saya could see areas of her body outright covered in dust and dirt, and she wondered when it was the girl was last allowed to clean herself off. Her friend reached for what looked like some sort of old sheet, and Saya realized, as her eyes darted to the right and left of Diva's true cell, that the torn sheet must have been what amounted to clothing for her underprivileged friend.

_"I will have to bring her a dress to wear the next time I come here." _Saya thought, realizing just after the thought occurred to her that it would only be proof that someone else had discovered Diva and could reach her. And if whoever was horrible enough to lock her in here discovered _that _who _knew _what measures they would take to ensure Diva would never be reached by the outside world again?

"I am glad you came." Diva told her, snapping the girl out of her thoughts and making her smile for a moment.

"Of course, Diva; I told you that I would find a way to reach you."

Her friend nodded and stood up, walking over to her. Despite the fact Diva's hair was still mostly covering her face, and the girl was trying to cover herself with the sheet, a significant amount of her body was showing. The sheet looked like it had torn a while ago, and had as a result been reduced to a portion of its original size; as it was now, it could barely cover her pelvis with its length. Another reason for that may have been because Diva also had the top of it draped over her head like a hood on a cloak; likely it was because it helped keep her warm. Saya could only imagine how cold Diva must be in here during a snowy night in wintertime and wondered how it was the girl had managed to survive such conditions.

Diva's footsteps sounded like "patting" as the soft skin of her feet made contact with the hard cold stone, and for some reason it scared Saya a little. Yet at the same time, the steps sounded so weak that she also felt sympathy at the same time. When finally Diva reached the bars of the cell, she merely stood there, looking down at the floor.

"What is it, Diva?"

"I do not know what to do."

Saya didn't understand.

"What do you mean? What don't you know how to do?"

"I have never had a 'friend' before; I do not know how to act around one."

"Don't worry; I do not have many friends either. Still, I'm sure we can figure things out!"

Diva drew the sheet over her more.

"But first; Diva, would you mind showing me your face?"

"I… am afraid to."

"Why is that?"

"I do not want you to leave if you disapprove of the way I look."

Saya didn't know if she found the statement sadder or cuter. Either way, however, she had to find a way to make Diva feel comfortable.

"Diva, come closer."

The girl did as instructed until she was within reach, at which time Saya stretched her arms out through the bars and embraced the girl, bringing her closer though also making sure not to knock her head against the hard metal. Saya placed her forehead against the sheet which covered Diva's, ignoring the dusty smell as her embrace of the girl tightened.

"Saya, what are you doing?" Diva asked her.

"It's called a hug; people do it when they want to show affection for someone, or to make them feel better."

It took a few moments for Diva to respond.

"It feels nice."

Saya was almost surprised at the statement, but her emotions never grew that high; she simply smiled and rubbed her head against the other girl's.

"It does."

She maintained the hug for almost an entire minute before Diva asked if she could place her hands on Saya as well. Her friend said "yes", and she felt the girl's unsure hands come around her. Saya did not tell Diva how to hold her; the more experienced girl merely waited until Diva's arms wrapped around her back just as Saya's had around hers.

"Is this good?" Diva asked.

"It's perfect." Saya responded, rubbing the girl's back to comfort her more. She felt Diva lean more towards her, and surmised it must have been because her friend was relaxing more. Saya waited for a minute or two, and then she asked Diva again if she could see her face.

"Will you stay, even if you do not like the way I look?"

Saya was going to tell Diva that she was sure the girl was beautiful, and that there was no way her face could be scary, but instead she simply told her that she would remain with her. Diva drew away slightly as one of Saya's hands came up and reached for the hood.

_"I have to stay with her; no matter what she looks like, I can't leave her." _Saya thought resolutely. Even if Diva didn't look human, she had to stand by her friend.

Saya pulled the hood back, and looked up at Diva- she was staring into a mirror; it wasn't Diva that gazed back at her, but Saya herself. It was her own face, down to the bone structure. The only difference was that she had pale skin and blue eyes, and her hair was not combed. Saya realized, however, as the blue eyes blinked and her own did not, that this _was _Diva's face.

"You are beautiful." Diva told her, once again snapping Saya back to reality as the eyes fluttered down, looking away out of embarrassment.

"What is it, Diva?"

"Am I scary?"

"No. Not all! You look just like me!"

Diva looked up at her; her expression was the closest to showing excitement that Saya had yet seen from her.

"I am?"

Saya nodded.

"Aside from the color of your eyes and skin, you look exactly like me."

Her friend managed an attempt at a smile, and Saya felt herself brighten up at that.

"What color are my eyes?" Diva asked.

An image of roses flashed through her mind, roses which were not natural in color, which were not allowed into the world. And then Saya blinked, and she decided both Diva and "her" roses would be freed very soon, so that they could show the entire world their beauty.

"Your eyes are blue."


End file.
